Rhus toxicodendron

Modalities: The complaints of this remedy come on from cold damp weather, from being exposed to cold damp air when perspiring.

The patient is sensitive to cold air and all his complaints are made worse from cold and all are better from warmth. In a general way, the aching pains, the bruised feelings over the body, restlessness throughout the limbs, and amelioration from motion are features that prevail throughout all conditions of Rhus.

While he is better from motion and better from walking, if he continues to walk he becomes exhausted. Any continued exertion of the body or mind exhausts the Rhus patient. He suffers from rheumatic conditions with pains in the bones, lameness in the muscles, lameness in the tendons, ligaments, and joints from suppression of sweat, from becoming chilled.

These occur with or without fever. Rhus is suitable in old chronic rheumatic conditions. He is stiff, lame, and bruised on first beginning to move. This passes off on becoming warm up, but soon be becomes weak and must rest.

Then comes the restlessness and aching and uneasiness which drive him to move and which again make him better, but soon he becomes weak and these continue, so that he is never perfectly at ease and never finds rest. Inflammation of the glands and of the mucous membranes; inflammation of the muscles. Cellulitis of the pelvis, of the neck, about the glands with much swelling. Inflammation of the skin that becomes erysipelatous; purple; pitting upon pressure with large blisters that fill with serum, sometimes bloody. It has abscesses and carbuncles and vesicular eruptions.

Glands: Inflammation of glands that are hot and very painful.

They are hot and end in suppuration. Abscesses of the axillary glands and of the parotids. Scrofulous inflammation of the glands of the neck and lower jaw. Inflammation of the periosteum and of the bones. Scrofulous and rickety affections. The prominent projections of bones become sore to touch, especially the cheek bones. Its complaints are more or less periodical. It has cured many cases of intermittent fever, is often suitable in remittent fever, and is a most useful remedy in continued fevers and in a low form of typhoid fever.

Pains: The pains that run through Rhus are aching, tearing, and bruised pains often attended with numbness and paralytic weakness of the limbs.

It has paralysis of the limbs with loss of sensation. In infantile paralysis Rhus is a very common remedy. The nurse-girls at the present time often bring on in the child this paralytic condition and spinal paralysis. The nurses take the infants to the park, take them out of their carriage and put them down upon the cold damp ground and in a few days the child comes down with infantile paralysis. Rhus will cure these cases because the symptoms take the Rhus type. Hemiplegia, especially of the right side. Twitching of the limbs and muscles. It has cured chorea brought on from taking a cold bath.

Mind

Most of the mental symptoms of Rhus are such as prevail during low forms of fever, especially in typhoid.

There is then incoherent talking; answers questions hastily. There is anxiety, apprehensions, and fear. Intense fear at night. The complaints of Rhus often come on in the night. The mental symptoms are worse at night. The delirium is worse at night.

The fears and anxiety are worse at night. The chronic mental symptoms of Rhus are despondency, mental prostration, inability to sustain a mental effort, disgust for life and thoughts of suicide. He wants to drown himself yet he has fear of death. He desires to die yet he has not the courage to commit suicide.

In many instances he is filled with suicidal- thoughts; sadness and weeping yet he knows not why. Irritability and anxiety as if he had met with some misfortune, restlessness, anxiousness and nervous in the extreme in acute and chronic complaints.

Colds settle throughout the body and limbs. He is full of dizziness as if intoxicated; staggers, when walking.

Head

The headaches are commonly such as occur in fevers, in rheumatism, and in inflammation of the bladder.

The brain feels loose or there is an undulating feeling in the head. Pain in the head as if the brain were torn. Stupefying headache with buzzing in the ears. Stitching pains in the head; feeling as if the parts were screwed together; feeling as if the brain were pressed. The muscles of the head are sore.

The periosteum of the cranium is sore to touch. The pain in the back of the head is ameliorated by holding the head backwards. Tingling in the scalp. Rush of blood to the head. Humming in the ears. Formication in the scalp.

Pulsating headaches. Meningitis with high fever. Great restlessness with these Rhus symptoms. Cerebro-spinal meningitis with the anxiety and restlessness. Aching in the bones; amelioration from motion. Eruptions upon the scalp; very sensitive to touch. The scalp is very sensitive on the side lain on. Tearing, drawing pains in the periosteum of the head; pressure in the bones of the skull as if screwed together. From every exposure to cold, damp weather, or from suppressing the sweat upon the head, comes pain in the head; rheumatic headaches.

Headaches are worse from wetting the hair. Vesicular eruptions upon the scalp; erysipelas of the scalp with large blisters; eruptions upon the scalp that suppurate. It is a very useful remedy in the treatment of eczema of the scalp in infants; herpetic eruptions upon the scalp.

Eyes

Inflammation of the eyes in rheumatic subjects from exposure to cold, damp weather, from suppressing the perspiration, with restlessness and fever.

Pustules upon the cornea; photophobia; suppuration of the eyes. Inflammation of the iris of a rheumatic character. There is much swelling and the eyes are closed from swelling. Very acute conjunctivitis; chemosis; eyes red and aggravated in the morning; scrofulous inflammation of the eyes from becoming cold.

The lids are red; oedematous. The pains in the eyes are worse from moving the eyeballs, especially the bruised pain. Paralysis of the muscles of the eyeball the result of rheumatism and exposure to the cold, or from getting the feet wet. Red eyes and lachrymation; erysipelas of the lids; paralysis of the upper lids.

The lids are agglutinated in the morning with a copious, purulent, mucous discharge. The Rhus patient, is subject to styes on the lower lids; neuralgia in the eyes.

Ears

Neuralgia in the ears; erysipelatous inflammation of the external ears with vesicles; inflammation of the parotid gland.

Nose

Haemorrhage from the nose; violent coryza.

The nose is stopped up from every cold; great soreness in the nostrils; discharge from the nose of thick, yellow mucus; green, offensive mucus.

Much swelling of the nose from erysipelas. The tip of the nose is red and sensitive. The nose is puffed and oedematous. Eruptions upon the nose and in the corners of the nose; eczema of the nose and much swelling.

Face

Erysipelas of the face with burning, large blisters, and rapidly extending inflammation which becomes very purple and pits upon pressure.

The erysipelas of the face often extends from left to right across the face. There is much burning, itching, and tingling, delirium, and high fever, and the mental state referred to above. Eczema of the face chronic suppurating eruptions of the face. Stiffness of the jaws rheumatic condition of the jaws and of the joints.

The corners of the mouth ulcerate; fever blisters; lips dry and parched and covered with reddish-brown crusts in typhoid fever; lips bleed. We have many symptoms of the mouth especially in connection with typhoid fever.

The tongue is sore, raw, and bleeding; burning of all the tissues in the mouth; red tongue. The taste is putrid and metallic. The teeth are covered with blood; fever in the gums with blood; blisters upon the tongue and the whole mouth appears to be raw and sometimes bleeding. The mouth is dry and an accumulation of saliva and sometimes bloody saliva in the mouth, which runs from the mouth during sleep.

In Rhus the thirst is often violent, but there is difficulty in swallowing solids from constriction of the throat; painful swallowing; inflammation of the throat; cellulitis of the throat internal and external with painful inflammation of the throat. Enlargement of the neck; swelling of the glands of the neck.

The neck is stiff; sometimes erysipelatous inflammation of the parotids; neck greatly swollen. Rhus has cured diphtheria with these symptoms. Rhus is especially suitable for inflammation of the oesophagus. When it is acute from swallowing corrosive substances, because of the extensive cellulitis that such substances cause it makes the case like Rhus.

This remedy is very freaky. For instance hunger without appetite; hungry sensation or sensation of emptiness in the stomach without desire for food. Dryness of the mouth and throat with great thirst; unquenchable thirst for cold drinks especially at night with great dryness of the mouth. Yet the cold drinks bring on chilliness, bring on the cough.

Stomach

Pain in the stomach and nausea.

His desires are also strange. Desires oysters, cold milk, and sweets. Aversion to meat. Rhus has nausea and vomiting; bilious vomiting and nausea from drinking cold water; nausea after eating, with sudden vomiting; inordinate appetite with inclination to vomit; worse at night and after eating.

Pulsation in the pit of the stomach; gnawing pain in the stomach fullness and heaviness in the stomach as from a load; pressure in the pit of the stomach as from a great weight; pain in the stomach and nausea, especially after cold things; pain in the stomach after ice cream; nausea after eating ice cream.

Liver and abdomen: In the liver there is swelling and tenderness on pressure, so that he cannot lie on the right lobe of the liver.

The soreness is increased on beginning to move; shooting pains in the region of the liver. In the abdomen we have many of the complaints of Rhus. Distended abdomen during typhoid fever; extreme soreness of the tissues of the abdomen to touch; cannot bear any pressure; sensitive to clothing.

Colic; pains and violent colic compelling him to lie on the back and draw up the limbs. Inflammation of any of the tissues of the abdomen; peritonitis; enteritis; typhlitis.

During these violent inflammatory conditions of the bowels, typhoid symptoms are likely to be present with involuntary stools. Inflammation and swelling of the glands of the abdomen and groin. With typhoid conditions there is diarrhoea, copious, watery, bloody stools or mushy stools involuntary stools; frothy stools. Diarrhea during typhoid fever the diarrhoea is worse during the night and better during the day time; involuntary stools with great exhaustion. It has cured cholera infantum of a low type and it is often useful in dysentery with bloody, mucous stools. Violent tenesmus; violent tearing, pinching pains in the abdomen; involuntary stools; dysenteric stools; dysenteric discharges that drive him out of bed in the morning sometimes as early as 4 o'clock.

Haemorrhage of black blood from the bowels. Shooting pains in the rectum. It has cured hemorrhoids when there is great soreness and when they are internal or protruding; protruding after stool with pressing in the rectum.

Urinary: Urging to urinate with tenesmus and pain in the region of the prostate gland causing urging to stool, ameliorated by moving about.

There are more or less tearing pains in the region of the kidneys. Albuminous urine; bloody urine; urine hot; muddy; white sediment, becoming turbid on standing; bloody drops of urine dribble away.

Violent tenesmus of the bladder with dribbling of blood; retention of urine; urine is voided slowly from paralytic weakness of the bladder. There is sometimes complete paralysis of the bladder with involuntary urination at night in bed.

Frequent urging to urinate day and night; weakness of the bladder in girls and women with frequent desire to urinate, especially in the women dribbling of the urine in cold air and on becoming very cold.

Men: In the male sexual organs we have inflammation erysipelatous in character.

Eczema of the genitals. The scrotum becomes thick and hard with intolerable itching; oedematous swelling of the genitals; erysipelas of the genitals; humid eruptions upon the genitals.

Women: In the female we have the same symptoms, especially erysipelatous swelling of the genitals and some eruptions.

The woman has prolapsus of the uterus from straining or lifting; weakness of all the pelvic muscles; labor-like pains in the abdomen from straining.

Copious menstrual flow; clotted blood with labor-like pains. The menstrual period comes too soon, is too profuse, and lasts too long. The flow is acrid, causing excoriation of the parts.

Every over-exertion brings on menorrhagia. Membranous tissue in the menstrual flow; suppressing of the menstrual flow from becoming wet; from getting the feet wet, or becoming chilled.

Similar complaints come on in pregnancy from overstraining and a tendency to abortion. The after-pains are very torturesome. The woman suffers from cellulitis such as occurs in milk-leg.

Typhoid symptoms come on and inflammation of the mammary glands. The milk vanishes.

Larynx: In the larynx many of the colds locate producing hoarseness, rawness, and roughness.

Soreness in the chest; muscular exhaustion of the larynx from loud and much exercise of the voice. Hoarseness on first beginning to sing; which wears off on singing a few notes or wears off after talking a little while; burning and rawness in the larynx.

Rhus is suitable in many cases of influenza, such as begin in the nose and extend into the larynx with hoarseness and with Rhus symptoms. Respiration is hurried; oppression of the chest; very difficult and hard breathing, especially in pneumonia and bronchitis and in colds that settle in the chest.

Cough

Rhus gets out of breath on exertion.

The cough of Rhus is very tormenting; teasing cough; paroxysms of almost any kind; tormenting, dry, teasing cough before and during chill.

He knows that the chill is coming because of the dry, teasing cough ; cough with taste of blood in the mouth; dry, hoarse, racking, rheumatic cough. cough from rheumatic fever.

Chest

Inflammation of the lungs; inflammation of the pleura with stitching pains, much fever, progressing toward the typhoid state with aching in the bones; restlessness; general amelioration from motion; intense fever, marked thirst, great prostration; typhoid symptoms.

The pneumonia is of a low type; pneumonia such as would denominate typhoid. Rhus has expectoration of blood from the lungs and from the mucous membranes of the air passages; hemorrhage from the chest from overexertion; hemorrhage from blowing wind instruments; hemorrhage from the chest from violent mental excitement.

The heart is weak, tremulous with palpitation violent palpitation when sitting still; pulsations move the whole body anxious palpitation in the morning on waking; palpitation from exercise. It seems as if exertion had strained the muscles of the heart; hypertrophy of the heart from violent exercise; hypertrophy that comes on in athletes, in runners; organic diseases of the heart with sticking pains. Numbness and lameness of the left arm with heart disease.

Back

In the back, we have stiffness and lameness.

This is most noticeable on beginning to move, but wears off on moving about. Pains in the shoulder with stiffness; pains between the shoulders on swallowing food; rheumatic symptoms; painful tension between the shoulder blades.

The small of the back aches while sitting. Painful stiffness on rising from a seat; pain in the back as if bruised, sore and lame all over the back. The pain in the back is ameliorated by lying on something hard or from exercise.

There are violent pains in the back, especially in the lumbar region, as if the back were broken. It is a remedy for lumbago brought on from getting wet, from overlifting, from taking cold, and from suppressing the sweat. He is ameliorated from motion and from moving about; worse on beginning to move.

This remedy has many spinal symptoms with paralytic weakness either of the lower limbs or of one part of the body, Stiffness and lameness in the sacrum aggravated on resting after exercise. It might now be predicted that symptoms are to be found in the limbs from what has been said in general.

There are stitching pains, pressing pains, all sorts of rheumatic lameness, and these pains are ameliorated from motion and are worse from keeping still. They are brought on from cold air and from suppressing the sweat, and as these pains grow worse they became tearing down the limbs, drawing pains. Paralytic pains, benumbing pains, and these are relieved from motion; numbness throughout the limbs; numbness and aching in the arms from heart disease; numbness in the joints; jerking, tearing pains in the joints. Paralysis of the arms; erysipelas with much swelling in the limbs; swelling of the bands and arms.

When grasping anything a tingling and pricking is felt in the hands and fingers; crawling and numbness in the finger tips and fingers; swelling of the fingers; eruptions upon the hands and fingers. In the lower limbs, we find similar pains and similar modalities pain in the hip when lying upon it; tearing, drawing pains in the lower limbs; sciatica with tearing, drawing pains in the lower limbs, worse during rest and ameliorated from motion, brought on from becoming chilled, from cold damp weather, from exposure, and from suppressing the sweat.

In sprains such as occur in the ankles and in fact any of the joints, after Arnica has removed the first and most painful symptoms, Rhus becomes useful for weakness of tendons and muscular fibers such as always follows sprains.

It is a routine remedy for this weakness in joints following sprains. The pains rush in streaks down the limbs; restlessness in the lower limbs at night, but amelioration from motion; must keep the limbs in constant motion; paralysis of the lower limbs, great weariness and heaviness of the lower extremities; weakness of the lower limbs on going up stairs; swelling of the joints of the lower limbs; stiffness of the knees and feet. Paroxysmal pains in the legs from getting wet, especially when sweating; complaints from living in damp houses; rheumatism in the lower limbs from living in damp houses.

Skin

Ulcers on the legs. Intolerable itching of the legs at night in bed; eruptions upon the feet and legs; foetid sweat of the feet in persons of rheumatic tendency,

Eczema of the lower limbs. Rhus is a useful remedy in fevers. In typhoid sufficient has been said. It is a very useful remedy in scarlet fever with coarse rash. When the rash has been suppressed, with inflammation of the glands and much sore throat. During fever there is often violent urticaria which passes off during the sweat; night sweat with much itching eruption; fevers from suppressed foot sweat; rheumatic fevers; fevers worse at night; fevers that come with cold sores on the lips, remittent fevers and intermittent fevers takes on the typhoid type and run through their course as symptomatic typhoid fever.

Intolerable itching of the skin; tingling in the skin; eruptions burn and itch violently; much moisture with eruptions upon the skin.

Large blisters form upon the skin either with or without erysipelas. The incessant itching is sometimes relieved by " scalding " the parts, as it is called by some who are poisoned with Rhus, by " scalding " with water as hot as it is possible to bathe the parts in. Rhus has cured shingles and the tendency to herpetic eruptions. It has made a grand record with humid eczema such as have raw surfaces; excoriated; oozing much. It is very commonly the remedy for hives that come on from getting wet or hives that come on during rheumatism or during chills and fever; hives that are worse in the cold air.